South Ossetia announced the plans after similar aspirations from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. South Ossetian President Anatoly Bibilov says the country will soon be taking legal steps to join the Russian Federation.
South Ossetia, a partially recognized republic in the Caucasus region, will soon be taking legal steps to join the Russian Federation, the president, Anatoly Bibilov, has announced.
“I believe that unification with Russia is our strategic goal. Our path, the aspirations of our people. And we will move along this path. We will take appropriate legal steps in the near future. The Republic of South Ossetia will be part of its historical homeland – Russia,” Bibilov said.
Located in the Caucasus region, South Ossetia broke away from Georgia in the early 1990s and was recognized by Russia as an independent republic following the 2008 military conflict between Russia and Georgia, when Georgian forces started shelling the region, where Russian peacekeepers were stationed.
Then-President and current Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev recently said that Russia’s decision to use military strength and political will in that conflict helped save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. However, Moscow has so far not reacted to South Ossetia’s latest aspirations.